"I felt like the world was unlocked to me"

Why did you come to TU Dortmund University back then?

I knew early on that I wanted to study mathematics and physics - two subjects that are represented at many university locations. Since I come from a household that definitely had to think about the money for studying, it was clear: the university had to be within commuting distance from Hamm, my home at the time.

The campus appealed to me, looked nice. Then my mother, who accompanied me on the exploration, and I met another friendly person on campus and my heart was already won. And indeed, I have never regretted the decision.

How did your studies shape your life and career path?

It has been a great foundation for a lot of things. In fact, mathematics quickly proved to be a good decision, and I then switched from physics to economics. From today's perspective, I would say that the systemic element attracted me to both sciences. In the end, economics was my first choice because I was closer to people than to particles, to put it bluntly. The university provided an environment where I felt really challenged intellectually. There was a lot of input, I got the opportunity to develop, and made long-lasting friendships.

I was at the end of my undergraduate studies when Prof. Wolfgang Leininger came to Dortmund, with whom I later also did my doctorate. He gave lectures in such a way that I had the feeling that the world was being opened up to me. In other words, exactly the way I would like it to be for my students. I was totally captivated by that. So I stayed in Dortmund after graduating and did my doctorate in the field of economics.